India and New Zealand will meet in another ICC knockout match, this time at the Dubai International Stadium for the final of the Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Blue have played all 4 of their matches at the venue, while the Kiwis have played all of their matches in Pakistan, with just one league stage match in Dubai.
India at advantage in Dubai?
With India playing all their matches in Dubai, many former cricketers have suggested that the Men in Blue have an advantage due to their familiarity with the surface. However, India coach Gautam Gambhir recently rubbished these claims in a press conference, saying, “There’s no undue advantage in India playing in Dubai. This venue is as neutral for us as it is for the others. We haven’t even practised once at this ground as of now. We practised at the ICC Academy,”
Rachin Ravindra on Dubai pitch
Adding more fire is a new statement by New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, who has termed the Dubai pitch as essentially an unknown.
Speaking after the match on Wednesday, Ravindra said, “We don’t quite know what the Dubai pitch is. We saw in our (group) game against India the ball turning but the other day didn’t turn so much. We found ourselves adapting and playing according to situations, which we will need to do on Sunday again.”
“We will see in the next couple of days and hopefully it’s a good cricket wicket,” the left handed batter added.
Notably, Ravindra played a crucial role in New Zealand‘s victory against South Africa on Wednesday as he scored a brilliant 108 run knock after opening the innings and set the platform for the 362 run total that the Kiwis eventually got. Later on, Ravindra also bowled 5 overs while giving away just 20 runs and taking 1 wicket.
